2 February 2024
(NEXSTAR) – A new take on music-inspired tattoos has a few clients regretting their ink: Multiple people who got Spotify codes tatted on their skin say the idea hasn’t worked well in reality.
Spotify codes are unique, scannable line patterns (much like a QR code). When you point your camera at the code, it’ll take you directly to a certain playlist or song. You can make Spotify codes of any songs or playlists that you like.
Some users like a certain song so much, they’ve decided to get the corresponding code tattooed permanently on their bodies.
Social media posts show recent adoptees of the trend getting codes for “Life is a Highway” by Rascal Flatts or “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” by Randy Newman, among many others. In each case, the Spotify logo is followed by a sequence of vertical bars. The logo is necessary for the code to function.
John Lapides, a tattoo artist at United Tattoo in Fountain, Colorado, has done two such tattoos. Lapides said it worked “absolutely perfect” when tested, playing a song by the band Offspring when scanned.
Not everyone has been so lucky, however. Several people told the Wall Street Journal that even if their Spotify code tattoos worked at first, they stopped working over time as the fine lines of the tattoo started to fade.
An example of the Spotify code that allows you to scan and play a playlist. (Photo: Alix Martichoux/Nexstar)
As for Lapides, he said he has done his best to make sure customers who want a Spotify code tattoo know what they’re getting into.
“I tell clients the risk of the possibility of it not being scannable over time, and as long as the client is aware of the risk, I’m OK with doing them,” he told Nexstar.
For some people, the functionality of the tattoo isn’t really the point, Lapides said. “Sometimes it’s more about the memory of it than the actual scan-ability, especially since we don’t know what the state of Spotify will be in the future.”
That hints at another risk when opting for a Spotify tattoo: Users don’t ultimately have control over the platform. Songs could be pulled down, playlists may be updated or altered, and the codes themselves are at risk of changing over time and without warning.
What does Spotify have to say about all this?
“We love seeing listeners wear the audio they love on their sleeves and helping them rep their fandom,” the company told the Wall Street Journal.